He saw the Congo, a mighty river
As an immense snake, uncoiled
With its head in the ocean
A body slithering
The tail lost in the depths of Africa
Conrad’s heart of darkness
Masking the Belgian route of ivory
Sinister on the left, righteous on the other side
Untamed through the then undemocratic republic
A reptilian watercourse
Of Amazonian dimensions
The dark bleeding heart of Africa
Hearts of old people are strong
Some too strong for their ailing brain
Maybe they should give up earlier
Hearts of young people are fragile
Yes, in a foolish romantic way
But more profoundly in disease-ridden shacks
Where there are no watercourses
Even today
Of any dimension
Conrad wasn’t to know
Where the really dark hearts were
They are here, further south
We have to prevent the massacre
Of young hearts and lives
Bringing much more lightness to the Cape
Franschhoek, South Africa, February 2014
